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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-04-08 Daily Xml
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MINDA FARM DAM

The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN (14:40): Will the Minister for Urban Development and Planning and the Leader of the Government please provide an update on the future of the old Minda Farm dam?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Police, Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning) (14:40): Back in 1980, Minda Incorporated, an organisation with a fine history of caring for intellectually disabled people in South Australia, decided to close the Craigburn Farm near Blackwood and sell the land to developers. At that time, 55 hectares of that farmland were subdivided, and another parcel was donated to the state government for inclusion in the adjoining Sturt Gorge Recreation Park. More than 20 years on, the Adelaide Development Company planned to build an additional housing subdivision on the remaining vacant land at Craigburn Farm.

That plan brought into question the fate of an old dam built on the watercourse running through Minda Farm. Engineers were asked to confirm the integrity of the dam as part of the Mitcham council's planning approval for the new housing estate. As it was built more than 80 years ago, no-one was able to provide details of the dam's construction, and the engineers advised that the only way they could vouch for its integrity was in fact to take it apart. So, the state government was left in the Pythonesque position where the only way to find out whether the dam was worth saving was to destroy it.

Regardless of the integrity of the wall, the waters created by the dam had become home to several species of water birds and native eucalypts, and it is a very tranquil part of the world on the edge of the city. That is why the state government has decided against draining the reservoir and dismantling the dam wall.

In short, I have decided to incorporate the dam into an enlarged Sturt Gorge Recreation Park to preserve a significant community asset for South Australians. It would be a great shame to drain the dam, especially at a time of water scarcity throughout the state. However, some landscaping work will have to be carried out before the area can be safely open to the public. In making this decision I was guided by representations from the local community, including the member for Fisher, Bob Such, and the Mitcham Mayor, Ivan Brooks.

Saving the dam near the Craigburn Farm Estate provides an opportunity to eventually create a public space similar to the Playford Lake in the Belair National Park. The decision is also in keeping with this government's commitment to providing open space and Places 4 People for South Australians to ensure that, as new land is released for residential development, areas are also set aside for use by the community.

Similarly, this government continues to fund improvements to existing open space through the construction of new path and cycle ways, barbecue facilities, shelters and recreational areas, not just in urban areas but also throughout the state.

This government has also assisted in the acquisition of land by local councils for open space to ensure that, as areas inside the urban growth boundary and within townships are redeveloped, public space is retained for recreation and for the community to enjoy. Adelaide is blessed by its hills to the east and its shoreline to the west, but it is important that, as we develop homes for the city's growing population, we keep some sanctuaries where families can come together and enjoy fresh air and blue skies.

Rescuing the Minda Farm dam will ensure the retention of just such an area of land. The dam and the surrounding land will become the responsibility of the Department for Environment and Heritage; and the Adelaide Development Company, as it develops the nearby Blackwood Park residential area, has also offered to assist with earthmoving where necessary to create a wetland environment downstream from the dam.

I look forward to seeing this area of the old Minda Farm transformed into an asset not only for new residents of Blackwood Park and existing residents of Craigburn Estate but for all South Australians.

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